


Keep Your Head Up

by Kumatorafire



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Male Summoner, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Starts Serious, Tellius Spoilers, There are 3 Ikes and Soren is dying, Time Shenanigans, Using Kiran to covertly write self-insert fanfiction, doesn't stay serious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-05-24 16:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14958179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumatorafire/pseuds/Kumatorafire
Summary: Soren's lived many years without Ike, and still struggles without him. But upon being summoned to Askr, he finds his lost love and adjusts to a new life and new war.(Soren and Kiran centric. Not nearly as serious as it sounds past chapter 1.)(I RETURN FROM HIATUS HELL! -1/27/19)(Nevermind. I have most definitely not. -4/21/19)





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first Fire Emblem fanfic that I feel is good enough to go online! I welcome all feedback and criticisms, and I'll freely admit that I've only played the Tellius games, Awakening, Fates, and about half of Shadow Dragon and Blazing Blade.

It had been fifty years since Ike had left him alone. Soren stared out at the ocean, seeing but not comprehending. The salty air brought back only painful final memories of Ike, of the hero of blue flames, of the only person Soren loved succumbing to the test of time. He knew it would happen eventually, being cursed as the branded child of the long living Dragon tribe meant he would outlive every beorc he knew, and most other branded. And yet, the only death that mattered was Ike’s.

It was difficult to forget how warm Ike was, a source of comfort Soren neither expected or deserved. Even in his moments of weakness, Ike was there, holding him wordlessly until Soren could cry no more. Soren cried a lot more close to the end, as loathe as he was to admit it. Living hundreds of years without Ike was an unbearable thought.

But now, faced with losing the only man he’s ever trusted, Soren wasn’t upset. He got to his feet, setting his only remaining tome aside. Fifty long years alone, isolated from anyone who knew of his existence would have changed other people. But Soren looked just about as youthful as he had been during the Goddess War. He was a bit colder as well, but that was a given, considering the only person who gave him warmth was gone.

Well, that didn’t matter much anymore. 

The place they’d created their final home was on a picturesque cliffside by the shore. Ike would always joke that one day, if the skies were clear enough, they might be able to see Tellius as a speck on the horizon. Wishful thinking, but it gave him something to get up for those last few months. Soren recalled this with a dull ache in his chest, that Ike would wake up later and later in the day until he didn’t anymore.

Soren slung his bag over his shoulder, traversing around to the back of their home, where a modest garden lay. They had planted it after Ike could no longer get out daily as he once used to, and it made sense for them to keep a supply of food for when they couldn’t be out doing usual odd jobs anymore. Dropping to his knees, Soren glanced over what still remained. It was growing colder, and by this time, most of the crops were already harvested, but he’d had to plant later this year due to the weather, and was trying to give the plants as much time as possible. Pushing his long sleeves back, he uprooted a carrot and a few potatoes, thankful they hadn’t been ruined by the serious cold a few nights ago. It wasn’t much to add to their meager pantry, but he didn’t eat much anyways. 

He dusted the dirt from his hands and got to his feet before he noticed the ground below him. He blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The ground was shimmering noticeably, rippling and spreading in a perfect circle beneath his feet, stopping at about five feet around. He whipped out his Wind tome and looked around quickly; he hadn’t sensed anyone else around, but what could this be, if not some kind of spell? Just as suddenly as it appeared, he was enveloped in a harsh white light. He flinched and shielded his eyes from it, and for a moment he felt completely weightless.

The it stopped. His feet hit solid ground, and Soren let his hand slowly drop to his side. Opening his eyes, he immediately realized he wasn’t back home. Some kind of teleportation spell? A young man in a white and gold hood, likely no older than twenty, stood behind a shrine with a perfectly circular hole in the middle. The entire thing was glowing gently, and the boy behind it looked pleased. “Nice, it worked. The last two were duds.” He lowered his elegant.. Weapon? Soren couldn’t tell, the device didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen.

Soren realized the boy was waiting for him to speak, watching him almost expectantly. He huffed and looked around. “Where am I?”

The boy grinned, as if he expected the question. Soren scowled at that. “You’re in Askr, a kingdom of Zenith. Hold on, lemme remember the thing i’m supposed to say..” The boy then tilted his head to the side and began mumbling to himself, as if trying to recall something important. His eyes grew wide and he smiled at Soren before clearing his throat and sheathing his ‘weapon’. “You have been summoned by the divine weapon, Breidablik, to this kingdom known as Askr. We are currently embroiled in war, and our opponent has enslaved many heroes through many universes to do their bidding. We have decided to summon as many as we can to our side, to prevent them from having too much power and to prevent heroes like you from having to massacre helpless people, and letting you fight for good instead.” He finished, but seemed to think hard. “What else.. Oh, yeah. I’m Kiran, Askr’s summoner, and please don’t attack me.”

Soren blinked. “Attack you.”

Kira shrugged. “Some people have that immediate response. But there’s actually something helpful for me, as the summoner. You can’t kill me.” At Soren’s confused expression, Kiran elaborated. “I summoned you from my divine weapon. Therefore, technically, you’re under a magic-bound contract. You don’t have to worry about it, the only thing you need to know is that you physically can’t kill me. Your body will seize up, or something. I dunno if that’s every case, but that happened with Grima a few times. Oh, and Raven that one time.”

Those names meant absolutely nothing to Soren. “So, you’ve summoned me here to fight your battles.” He said flatly.

“Essentially.” Kiran replied. He stepped around the altar and smiled apologetically at Soren’s less-than-happy tone. “Hey Soren, if it makes you feel better, I was pulled out of my world too, and I might never be able to go home. At least you can go home when the war’s over.”

Soren squinted, taking a step back and holding his tome open, despite what Kiran had just told him. “How do you know my name?”

“I know everyone who gets summoned from different worlds. You’re Soren, tactician of the Greil Mercenaries, an accomplished mage, and Ike’s… Companion.” He smiled slightly at the last word, but Soren’s expression only darkened.

“Former tactician. And, Ike is…” He paused for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. “Ike would have gotten involved in something like this.. I’ll fight with you.”

Kiran clapped his gloved hands together happily, though he looked a bit puzzled at Soren’s words. “Great! I’ll try and get someone here to show you around, I’ve got a few more summons to try.” He held up a bag that looked almost entirely empty, save for what looked like some rainbow colored marbles. “Now, let me think.. I should probably ask someone you’re familiar with to guide you, hm..”

This caught Soren’s attention. “Someone i’m familiar with? From my world?” He doubted it.

“Yep.” Kiran nodded, and placed a finger on his cheek in contemplation. “There’s Micaiah, but oh, she’s on her training schedule right now..” Soren stiffened. Micaiah was here as well? “Oh, or Oliver- No. No, that’s not gonna work. You’ll kill him, probably.” Kiran tried to hide a grin at Soren’s shock. 

“But..” Soren gaped. “They’re dead. Oliver is. Micaiah might not be, but she’s too old to fight anymore..”

“Too old?” Kiran tilted his head. “She looks, like.. 16. Though, looks are pretty deceiving with you two, huh?” He added conversationally. Soren just scowled. So this kid knew of his heritage.. “Anyway.. Oh! Titania is free! Hold on a minute.” Soren’s eyes grew wide as Kiran turned to face the door that let into the castle, connected to the summoning area. He opened the door a crack and peeked in. “Ike, Lucius, would you two please go get Titania?”

Ike.

Soren felt as if his heart had stopped, there was no way that Ike was here, alive. But.. Kiran had mentioned other universes. Could that mean this was a different Ike, one that didn’t know him, or-

“Titania? What, did you summon someone from our mercenary group?” He heard Ike ask, his Ike, and his heart soared. He hurried to the door, shoving the summoner out of the way and opening the door wide.

_Ike._

There he was. Not Ike as he was in his final moments, but Ike as he was during the Mad King’s War. Young, inexperienced, but Ike. Soren couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be. Soren would wake up any minute now, tears on his face, because this couldn’t be real-

“Soren.” Ike said, grinning. His voice filled with warmth and familiarity that Soren had almost forgotten. “Huh, you look older-”

And Soren threw himself against Ike’s chest and sobbed, bawling as he had when he’d lost the love of his life, now here in the flesh. Ike hesitated a moment before hugging Soren gently, and rubbing his back comfortingly. Soren was aware that they were being watched, both by Kiran and the blonde woman who stood beside Ike, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. He cried, his arms tightly around Ike. “Please don’t wake me up. Please.” He sobbed out.

“..Wake you?” Ike asked, putting his hand on Soren’s cheek, guiding his head up so he faced Ike.

Soren gasped between sobs and nodded, not bothering trying to wipe away his tears. “I’ll wake up, in our home, and you’ll be gone again.. Don’t wake me, Ike..” And he stood tall and kissed Ike, and oh, this couldn’t be real. It felt real, but it just couldn’t be. 

Ike’s hand gently cupped Soren’s cheek and he kissed back before pulling away, confusion clear in his expression. “Soren, what’s wrong?” He looked over Soren, his longer hair and matured features before his eyes widened. “You’re..”

The two were cut off by Kiran groaning as Lucius helped him up. “Jeez, Soren, you suck, you know that?” Kiran huffed, bracing himself against the feminine mage. His expression quickly changed when he saw Soren’s tearstained face. “Oh.. Uh, are you okay? Maybe.. Uh.. Ike, will you show him the ropes once he’s done? You can quit your guard duties for today.” Ike nodded, and held Soren tightly, the Branded trembling with happiness in his arms. Kiran smiled and turned to Lucius. “I have more summoning to do, will you stay?” Lucius nodded with a smile, and took Kiran’s hand, following him into the summoning shrine area.

Ike stared at the two until they closed the door behind them, then sunk to his knees, holding Soren close. “Soren.. Tell me what happened. You.. You’re not from the same time as me, are you..? But you’re still the Soren I fell for..” Soren just whimpered, burying his face in Ike’s chest, murmuring soft ‘I love you’s between sniffles. Ike looked down at him, and smiled slightly. “It’s.. Not a dream, Soren. I got summoned here too. So, don’t cry..”

Soren looked up, bleary-eyed. “I.. I don’t understand..”

Ike stood, and picked up Soren with little difficulty, carrying him in his arms. “So, when someone gets summoned, it doesn’t defer to any specific time, just the moment they’re summoned. We were just relaxing a few months after the Mad King’s War when I was summoned out of nowhere. And apparently Duke Tanas survived, and he’s here, also. Though, he keeps talking about something called the Goddess War..” Ike trailed off, then smiled at Soren. “So.. When were you from, Soren? You look so much more mature, so probably later..”

Soren struggled to wrap his head around it. So this Ike hadn’t fought the Goddess War yet, hadn’t recovered his memories of their meeting, hadn’t even hit his growth spurt… “You’re really here.” Soren whispered, laying his head on Ike’s shoulder, heart racing.

Ike laughed, and Soren’s heart lept. “Yeah, I am. Now tell me, when are you from?”

Soren sighed and rubbed his eyes with balled up fists; a childish action, but he felt younger than he had in decades. “Ike.. I.. You know about my parents, right? That i’m..” He hesitated, wondering if this was his Ike, that he’d poured his soul out for and confided in.

Ike nodded. “Yeah. You’re a Branded.. Half laguz. And?”

Soren exhaled slightly. It was his Ike. His. “I didn’t tell you back then, but.. Us Branded age much slower. It’s our curse, to outlive everyone we love.” Soren let out a sniffle.

“Oh.” Ike understood. He tightened his grip on Soren, sighing deeply. “So, I’m..”

“Gone.” Soren whispered. “A little over fifty years ago.”

Ike said nothing, but held Soren in a warm embrace, occasionally kissing him and allowing him to cry out his pain.

Soren refused to let go of Ike, even after he stopped crying.


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kind words on the first chapter! Things aren't nearly as angsty anymore, and we're going to get into the very loose Askr plotline.

“So, I told Kiran i’d show you the ropes.” Ike finally said, smiling slightly as Soren wrapped an arm around Ike’s bicep, walking alongside him. “I’m not sure what he wanted me to do, so i’ll just show you where everything is. You’ll pick everything up faster than I did.”

Soren looked around at the castle, noting the unfamiliar banners that hung on the walls.The two walked in comfortable silence, Soren relishing in Ike’s touch and presence. His Ike. His. “What’s this world like?” Soren finally asked.

“It’s pretty close to ours.” Ike said. “Other people who were summoned here sometimes complain about how different it was to theirs, so we’re lucky. And by other people, I mean Kiran.” He said casually. “The others are all at least somewhat close to ours.”

“I don’t understand what you mean by ‘close to ours’. What does that even mean?”

Well,” Ike began, “They have magic, physically present gods, some even have people kind of like laguz. Aside from different histories, it could be worse.” He paused for a second and pointed to a set of closed doors. “There’s a library here. Only tacticians are allowed to use it, so you’ll probably be given a key in a few days. Apparently it’s pretty massive, from what I’ve heard.”

Soren just hummed in acknowledgement, his gaze catching on a scantily-clad dark haired girl watching the door feverently from behind a nearby pillar, chewing her nails. He glanced up at Ike, concerned. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Uh.. Well, no, but this is normal for her. She’s waiting for Robin. He’s another tactician from some other place. Though, I think you’re better..” Ike added softly, and Soren squeezed his arm affectionately as they walked off, Soren keeping an eye on that girl. She was mumbling under her breath about her darling or something… They continued on.

Ike stopped them suddenly and pointed excitedly at a handleless set of double doors. “This is the dining hall, and the food is actually really good here. Especially when Caeda cooks. She’s a princess, but she definitely knows what she’s doing.” Ike pushed open the doors easily and peered in. There weren’t many heroes in there at the moment, only a brown haired boy being pestered by a pink haired girl while he swept. “Hey, Matthew, who’s cookin’ today?”

The brown haired boy (Matthew, Soren deduced) looked up at Ike, looking incredibly tired. “Serra. Serra is. She hasn’t stopped telling me all day that her and Priscilla are cooking, and how grateful I should be-”

Serra huffed, crossing her arms against her chest and puffing her cheeks out childishly. “Matthew, how often will you have two beautiful clerics cooking you a meal? You should be-”

“Grateful? Huh? Is that what I should be? Huh?!”

Ike gave Soren an apologetic smile and pulled him out of the dining area, neither person noticing them as they left.

“Is everyone always at each other’s throats like that?” Soren asked, tilting his head as they walked, now hand in hand. 

Ike shook his head, laughing. “No, Matthew and Serra are just like that. I think they like each other, deep down. Maybe.” They exited out what seemed to be a side exit, and Soren immediately recognized the area to be a training grounds. Training dummies were lined up against the walls of the castle, arrows sticking out of their fronts. 

A green-haired archer was plucking the arrows out and yelling to his armored partner. “Draug, did you see me? I hit it!” The other man looked up for a second, uninterested, before returning to his book. “Come on, Draug! I hit that training dummy in the middle! Gimme some credit!”

Ike laughed a little, before turning and making a surprised noise. “Oh, there’s Fae. She’s a Divine Chicken- Dragon. Divine Dragon.” Soren raised and eyebrow and followed Ike’s gaze to see what most certainly appeared to be an abnormally large cream colored chicken. There were many scorched dummies around it, a few trampled and one still burning. It turned to them and began charging. Ike just grinned at Soren’s noticeably worried expression. “It’s fine, she’s just excited.” Soren relaxed slightly, Ike wouldn’t lie to him.

The dragon jumped at Ike, and in midair, a glowing light surrounded her, not unlike a laguz transformation. What landed on Ike was a child, looking no older than 10. She let out a happy squeal and hugged Ike tightly, which he reciprocated. “Ike! Didja come to play with me? Grima’s being a meanie, he said we couldn’t play because I invited Lucy-nuh to play with us!” 

Ike smiled slightly, shaking his head. “I’m just showing my friend around. Fae, this is Soren.” He motioned to his partner, a slight smile on his face as her eyes widened.

“Ike brought me a dragon pal!” She squealed, and Soren tensed immediately. “You smell like Myrrh! You’re a dragon, like me! Let’s play!” She took his hands, and Soren pulled away immediately.

“You’re wrong.” Soren hissed, and turned away from her. “Ike, where else do you need to show me?”

Fae whined, teary eyed, tugging on Ike’s cape. “Ike, your wife is meaaaan! Make him be nice!” Ike just patted her on the head, noting that Soren huffed a bit at the ‘wife’ comment, and stifled a laugh.

“He takes some getting used to, Fae. But sorry, he’s not a dragon. Right, Soren?” Ike turned to his lover, but his smile vanished when he noted Soren’s pained expression. “Uh, but, we should be going, Fae.” He gave her another pat on the head before taking Soren’s hand and leading him back inside quickly. Thankfully, Fae didn’t follow.

Soren was thankful that Ike didn’t push the topic of dragons, and they walked into another wing of the castle in silence. This one looked more comfortable and lived in, and Ike began explaining again. “All the heroes that get summoned here sleep and live in this area. It’s, admittedly, not the most comfortable place i’ve ever slept, but it’s nice enough and there’s enough beds for everyone.” 

A blue haired girl walked past them, chattering happily with a similarly aged man with the same hair color. She noticed them walking hand in hand and tugged on the man’s cape to make him stop. “Ike, is this a new hero?” At his nod, she smiled brightly and bowed to Soren. “I’m Lilina, and this is my father, Hector.”

Soren didn’t say anything, but nodded. The man looked over him and laughed heartily, slapping Ike on the back. “This is your man, huh? Soren? You kept talking about him when you were summoned..” 

Ike laughed nervously, and waved Hector off, avoiding Soren’s questioning gaze. “Yeah, uh, this is Soren, our mercenary group’s tactician. I’ve.. Uh, We’ve been waiting for him for a while.”

Soren couldn’t be quiet at that, and finally spoke up. “What do you mean, ‘we’?”

Ike looked at Soren, his mouth open as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. He glanced at Hector and Lilina, making a nervous face. Lilina smiled and picked up where Ike left off. “The other Ikes. They talk about you just as much.”

Soren thought his brain and heart had stopped. “Other Ikes.”

“Yes.” She replied. “You see, since we’re almost all summoned from different points in time. For example, my father is here, despite being only a teenager himself. This time discrepancy means that not only can people meet who chronologically shouldn’t, it also means that the same person can be brought here multiple times from different points in time.”

“Other Ikes..” Soren whispered, staring at the floor, unable to comprehend what he was hearing.

Lilina gave Ike a confused look, and he smiled slightly. “Thanks for explaining. I’ll go introduce them, it’s probably not fair to just keep him to myself.” He held out his hand to Soren, who took it on instinct. He was still staring at the floor, trying to process the thought of multiple Ikes.

Leading Soren deeper into the common area, they passed by a few others Soren vaguely took note of; a messy haired archer with a serious scowl, a redheaded girl in what looked to be a wedding gown holding a bow, and two identical green haired women differentiated only by clothing speaking to a flustered purple haired girl. Soren couldn’t care, not when the possibility of meeting an Ike closer to his time was so close. 

“They’re in here, Soren.” Ike said gently, and Soren perked up. Straining to hear behind the door Ike had brought him to, Soren could hear, to his joy, Ike, laughing and chatting. They weren’t lying about multiples. Ike pushed open the door, and grinned wildly. “Look who got summoned.”

There were two Ikes sitting there in the dorm-like room, one polishing an axe (Urvan, Soren realized, and he felt a pang of sadness for him) and chatting away while the other was reading, seemingly not listening. Both looked up, and stared wide eyed at Soren.

The one with the book spoke up first. “Soren. I.. Wow. You got summoned a lot later.” Soren nodded dryly. This one looked older, wearing the armor he wore during and after the Goddess War. “...I’m glad you’re finally here as well.” He closed the book and put it down on the side table nearby. He got up slowly, and smiled tiredly. It was a smile Soren had missed dearly. After the wars, Ike always seemed so tired, but he never let it stop him. Soren felt himself melt a little.

“Finally.” the other said, a grin on his face. He leaned the axe against the wall and stood as well. He looked as he did right before the second war began; strong, yet still having his youthful passion for life that a second war hadn’t yet snuffed out. Soren couldn’t help but smile.

The two closed in on either sides, hugging him tightly. This was how Soren wanted to die, he decided, as the middle of an Ike sandwich. The younger brushed kisses against his cheek, while the older one just held him tightly. Soren whimpered slightly, overwhelmed by the affection. Just an hour ago, he’d been mourning his long lost husband, now he was sandwiched between him.

The Ike that had brought him cleared his throat slightly, but when no one bothered to move, he shrugged and joined in the hug. Soren was being quite literally crushed in the embrace of three Ikes, and he loved every single moment of it. “Wow.” He whispered, gaze trailing from each Ike to another. “I.. I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

The oldest one smiled gently. “If you’re dreaming, so am I.” He placed a kiss against Soren’s Brand, and the mage let out a shuddering breath. “...You look like you’re in your mid-twenties.. How old are you now?” 

Soren glanced up, a bit sobered up by the question but he still smiled sadly. “Old enough to have missed you for years now.”

When the group hug finally stopped, Soren had to take a moment to regain his composure. “...You’re all taking this quite well, for there being three of you.”

The Ike that guided him around earlier grinned. “We’ve been here for a while. I’m actually the most recent one of us who showed up. Bike was here first, and he took it pretty well.” Soren blinked, and realizing his confusion, Ike pointed to his counterpart with Urvan. “Kiran calls him Bike, and it just sorta grew on all of us. After all, there’s no way to differentiate any of us by name. I get to keep my name, because apparently i’m the youngest. Of myself.” 

Soren wanted to laugh, but didn’t, poor Bike. He looked up to the largest of the three. “And what do they call you to differentiate you, Ike?” It dawned on Soren he’d get confused fast if he didn’t use the nicknames.

He looked down at Soren, putting an arm around him comfortably. “I get called Greil. Titania thought it fitting, though i’m not sure I agree.” He spoke softly. Soren let out a soft ‘oh’, leaning into Ike’s grasp. This one was the oldest, clearly, and Soren couldn’t help but want his immediate love and affection. All of their love and affection, really. It was something he could get used to.


	3. Failed Summons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to thank all of you for your kind comments! This is my first posted work for a 'popular' fandom and you guys have no idea how happy your feedback makes me!
> 
> This chapter focuses a bit less on Ike, and a bit more on how ingame features translate to the world; ie, resummoning a character makes them stronger (merging). Also, Kiran's world is ours, so Fire Emblem is a game series that he's played a few entries of, which explains the little descriptions he has on each character.
> 
> Please enjoy!

“Wrys, for the love of god, not again..” Kiran whined, lowering Breidablik. “How do you even keep showing up? I’m pretty sure I tried for red that time..” He looked at his gun, annoyed. 

Wrys shrugged. “I don’t know, myself.” He scratched his head and looked around the summoning chamber. “What is this, my fourth time?”

Kiran huffed. “Seventh. Seventh time. Why are you holding a vulnerary?” He sheathed his legendary weapon and moved around to help the older man off the platform.

“Oh, I was just helping manage supplies when I was summoned. It’s hard for these old bones to do much of use, nowadays.” Wrys sighed, but patted Kiran’s shoulder good naturedly. “But i’m doing all I can.”

Kiran nodded and helped him through the door; summoning was a disconcerting experience, and there was no Life Alert in this world for if Wrys fell. “You’re doing great, old timer. Don’t push yourself.”

As Wrys left and Kiran turned back to the summoning stone to gather his things, Lucius peeked in. “Kiran, Soren’s returned. He’d like to speak with you.”

“Can you bring him in?” Kiran turned to Lucius, an affectionate smile gracing his features. With a shy smile and a nod Lucius disappeared for a second before returning, followed closely behind by Soren. “Soren, glad to see you doing better after yesterday. Did Ike show you around?” Kiran turned to face him, putting his gloves on as he spoke.

Soren huffed slightly, not out of any disdain for the summoner, but from his own impatience. “Yes, but I still require more assistance if i’m to become your tactician.”

Kiran smiled brightly, clasping his hands together. “Assistant tactician.” He corrected.

“What.”

“I’m the tactician AND the summoner. Two for one deal, right here!” Kiran smacked his chest with one hand. 

Soren glanced uneasily at Kiran, then to the other person in the room. The person he’d previously thought a woman before being corrected by Ike, Lucius, gave Soren a gentle smile. “He doesn’t act the part, but he’s a wonderful strategist and knowledgeable to boot, even if we don’t understand him sometimes.” Lucius assured, glancing at Kiran as he said so.

Soren noted Kiran’s suddenly flustered expression and put two and two together. “I suppose i’ll find that out in due time. Either way, i’d like if you explained this world in more detail.”

Kiran nodded, and nodded his head toward a bench tucked away in the corner of the summoning area. It was shaded by an ancient looking tree that allowed sunlight to filter in, giving the entire area an aura of sacredness. Soren wordlessly sat down on the bench, and Kiran did the same a few seconds later. Lucius glanced at the two before bowing his head slightly and leaving. “So, what do you want to know?”

Soren exhaled audibly, thinking. “Ike told me the basics, that we were summoned to be pawns of war, but I don’t quite get your involvement, Kiran. You said you were summoned here as well? Elaborate.”

The summoner cringed slightly. “I was hoping you were gonna quiz me about Askr.”

“Eventually. But I want to know this first. What’s your relationship to this place?”

Kiran huffed. “I don’t have one. I’m just here because the commander summoned me, because i’m apparently the only person in the whole damned multiverse who knows how to shoot a gun.” He held Breidablik up halfheartedly.

“So you aren’t here willingly.” Soren noted.

“Well, yeah. Why would I stay in a warzone? I don’t have any fighting experience. That Nino girl who can’t even read is more useful to this army. Magic, and dragons, and all that garbage? That doesn’t exist where i’m from. I can’t do anything here but summon.” Kiran rambled, clearly growing more annoyed as he spoke.

Soren remained quiet for a minute, taking time to ponder the ramifications of living in a magic-free world before deciding on his next question. “Why was I summoned?”

Kiran smiled, glad to have a change in topic. “Random chance. Lucky you, I was gonna try and summon more today. Y’see..” Kiran pulled out a bag Soren recognized from when he’d been summoned; one filled with rainbow colored marbles. “I use these babies to summon. Twenty orbs can net me five heroes, but there’s nothing stopping me from summoning the same hero multiple times.”

“Like the three Ikes?” To Soren’s surprise, Kiran shook his head.

“Those Ikes are all different in skill and ability, and they’re from different times. When I mean summoning the same hero.. Ah, i’ll show you. Stay there.” Kiran got to his feet and approached the stone in the center of the summoning circle. “What portals are open right now..?” He dug around in his pockets before withdrawing a folded up piece of parchment. “The World of Mystery is open, and so is the World of Blazing.. Ah, I can’t resist, Nino’s been asking for Legault.” He shoved the papers away, and withdrew the divine weapon, loading five colored marbles into the gun. “It takes five to open the portal, and less afterwards. It’s like gambling, but you win hot men instead of money.”

Kiran took aim, and fired at the hole in the center of the platform. A rainbow of light tore through it and Soren watched, transfixed. Five lights began to emanate from the stone slab in a pentagram shape, two blue and three white. “Damn it.” Kiran groaned. “Soren, blue or clear?”

“Erm..” Soren tried to think of what the colors could mean, but drew a blank. “..Clear, I suppose.”

Kiran approached the stone and touched the tip of his gun to one of the white spots. The colorless light enveloped the weapon, and Kiran aimed yet again at the circle in the platform and fired. This time, light erupted through the slab, and Soren had to shield his eyes. When he looked back, there was an archer, her clothes covered in dirt.

“Heey, Kiran.” She said, not looking particularly bothered. “Thanks for the summon, I fell in another-”

“Another trap.” Kiran finished, turning to Soren. “This is Setsuna.” He turned back to her, unamused. “Setsuna, how many times have I summoned you?”

She looked up for a moment, before shrugging. “Maybe ten times now. The only reason you don’t strangle me for showing up is because it makes me stronger.” She hummed.

“That’s right. Now, don’t go outside for the rest of the day, we might need you for the upcoming tempest, and if I find you in another trap, i’m chaining you to Frederick for a week.” She nodded and strolled out, looking entirely carefree. 

Soren just watched her leave, confusion very visible on his face. “Wait, so what’s the difference between summoning someone from elsewhere on this world to bringing in another one from a different time?”

Kiran stared blankly. “How the hell should I know? Sometimes others show up, though. Like, sometimes during wedding festivals, and Christmas. Nagamas? Asheramas? Whatever. The point is, they’re wearing funky outfits and I love it.”

“You’re far more useless than I originally thought.” Soren deadpanned.

Kiran smiled. “You’re not the first and won’t be the last to tell me that.” With that, Kiran motioned for Soren to follow, and let him in silence to the library. It wasn’t awkward, if only because other people were rushing about just as much, and Soren took the opportunity to look for any familiar faces but found no one he recognized.

“Here we are.” Kiran announced, snapping Soren out of his thoughts. Soren recognized it as the locked doors Ike had shown him the day prior. “I forgot to give this to you yesterday; here.” Kiran held out a silver key, and Soren took it. “So, the official rules and stuff say you can’t bring anyone or anything in or out, but honestly, just don’t eat in here and I won’t say anything to the higher-ups.”

“Reasonable enough.” Soren said dryly. “Any particular reason the library is so secretive?”

For a moment, Kiran looked dead serious as he nodded. “Some of the information in here.. Well, let’s just say that it’s very important that some of these books remain hidden away.” Soren didn’t look convinced, and Kiran sighed deeply. “Fine, I’ll just show you why.” He unlocked the door, and Soren felt a distinct tingle of magic; the door or the keys must have been enchanted. Kiran opened one door, and ushered Soren in before himself, closing the door tightly behind them.

Soren marvelled at the extensive amount of tomes, being rivaled in his mind only by Begnion’s royal library. Shelves were filled to the brim with books of assorted color and size, and Soren felt a thrill. “Are these all strategy books?”

“Not exactly.” Kiran motioned to the largest section, the one that took up most of the room. “These are all documentation of the history of other worlds… Namely, the worlds all of you come from. Though, most of them are about this continent.” He then pointed toward a relatively smaller section. “Those are strategy books, maps, and a bunch of books on tactics. We don’t have too much for light reading, unfortunately.”

Soren look his time, gazing over the spines of the books, in an attempt to see anything that might have related to his world. However, Kiran nudged him along, into a room almost hidden behind the numerous shelves. This room was small in comparison to the library, and a small makeshift pile of books sat beside a desk with a candle and inkwell on it. “A writing area?” Soren looked at Kiran, nonplussed. Kiran didn’t reply, and opened what Soren realized was a journal.

“A log of those summoned.” Kiran answered, flipping to the latest written page; Soren’s. Soren peered over it, and felt a chill as he recognized details about himself on the page that Kiran shouldn’t have known; his age during the wars, parents, weapon types, advantages and disadvantages (both of which had ‘Ike’ written in them) along with a short description. “I compile the info I have about you guys from my world, then add what I can gather from you guys personally.” Soren’s eyes grew wide as Kiran flipped to nearly the beginning, and opened it to a page with Ike’s name scrawled across the top. Soren quickly glanced over the text, verifying all the information Kiran had as true, a chill running down his spine at the description.

“How do you know about Ike’s past? About Gallia?” Soren couldn’t look away from the text, jumping slightly when Kiran suddenly slammed the book shut.

Kiran looked at Soren for a moment, pondering before shaking his head. “I’ll tell you eventually, I don’t think you’d get it right now.” He stepped out of the small room, and Soren hesitantly followed Kiran out. He locked the door behind him with a different key and looked tiredly at Soren. “I’m going to go take a quick nap before dinner, we’re overdue for a temporary portal to open and they usually pop up near midnight. Gotta stay on my toes.” Kiran yawned, covering his mouth with a gloved hand, before turning to leave. “Have fun, we’ll start needing your expertise sometime soon.” He shut the door behind him with a soft ‘click’, leaving Soren to his own devices.

Soren stared at the closed door, processing what he’d read. There was no way the summoner knew about this first-hand, so what source of information did he have in his own world? Soren looked over to the numerous history texts, and began to run a finger across the spines, reading each title. If he was here, he might as well make the most of it and do some research.


	4. Training Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to stay to a pace of updating every 2 days or so, but coming up with ideas for a kind of slice-of-life fanfic that aren't based on FEH features are tough. If anyone has something they wanna see, i'll consider doing so~
> 
> Also, a huge retroactive thank you the my boyfriend Kazu for giving me constant motivation to continue with this, and also for providing me with enough support to keep me inspired

Soren awoke hazily, nestled gently in the crook of Ike’s… Or, Greil’s arm. He laid there silently for a few minutes, simply enjoying the feel of human contact after so long. It had been too long since he could lay with Ike, content and warm, without the thought of Ike’s slowly approaching demise. Subconsciously, he pulled Greil closer, huffing slightly. He trailed his fingers across his younger lover’s thin nightshirt, mapping out each inch of his body, remembering all the dips and curves that spelled Ike’s body underneath his fingertips. It was still so unreal. He still felt as if any moment now he would wake to an empty bed with tears staining his cheeks at the thought of what could have been. 

“Mm. You okay?” Soren looked up to see Greil watching him sleepily. 

Soren, a bit flustered at being caught in the act, pressed his face against Ike’s chest, making a soft whining noise. “I’m fine, I just…”

Greil understood and wordlessly turned and pulled Soren into a hug, the two already pushed close due to how small their now-shared bed was. Soren gratefully accepted the embrace, letting out a contented sigh. The two laid in silence until Greil spoke up, shifting as he did so. “We should get up. Kiran wants to have you train today.” Soren let out a heavy sigh but sat up, taking a moment to roll his shoulders. 

“So i’ll be out in the training grounds you showed me a few days ago?” Greil shook his head no, and Soren raised an eyebrow. “ Really? Something else, then? I imagine Kiran would want to see my abilities.”

Greil tugged his headband into its proper place, and grunted. “Yeah, he’s probably gonna take you to the tower, so it won’t take more than a day or two to get you back in fighting shape.”

“The tower?” Soren glanced at Greil, but no explanation was given. He crossed his arms over his chest, and after accepting the fact that he’d be in the dark a lot during his first few weeks here he stood up, stretching. “I suppose we should head to breakfast, then?” He peered over at Bike, who was still dead asleep.

Greil nodded, and looked over at Bike. “He sleeps in, he’ll get up eventually.” Soren nodded, and took Greil’s arm and followed him out, casting a glance back to Bike, who was cuddling Urvan in his sleep. That couldn’t be safe.

As they stepped into the dining area, Soren was yet again put off by the loudness. Large tables packed with heroes from different worlds chatting and eating filled the room, some tables more barren than others (though all of them were filled to the brim with bowls of fruits and bread and other foods). Greil pulled him along to their table, where Titania and Ike already sat. She gave them a wave before returning to her food. Oliver sat on the other end, seemingly disgusted by the presence of the mercenaries. Micaiah wasn’t there, but Greil had informed him that she usually wasn’t there for breakfast. 

Soren sat down beside Ike, and Greil sat down on his other side, immediately reaching for a breadroll. “Good morning.” He said curtly, and Ike made a muffled noise in reply, his mouth full.

“Ai Sowen.” He swallowed, then kissed Soren’s cheek before returning to his meal. Greil gently placed his hand over Soren’s, and the mage couldn’t help but smile at the attention. Ike was never the type to smother Soren with affection, but receiving love from multiple parties made his chest feel warm. 

Titania spoke up, bemused by the trio. “Are you excited to start training? It’s a.. Different experience than our normal training back home.” 

Soren shrugged off the comment, grabbing an apple out of a ceramic bowl. “I haven’t had to do much training in my time. No reason to.” He felt Ike squeeze his hand comfortingly, and Soren pushed away the sadness that arose in his chest. “I’m likely a bit out of practice with any combat situation.”

“Aye, it was like that for me as well, since I was taken a year or so after the Mad King’s War. Aside from an occasional bandit raid or odd job, we didn’t have much to do to keep ourselves sharp.” Titania reached up, brushing a few stray hairs out of her face. “The training tower fixed that, though. Felt back to normal working shape in a few hours.”

Soren opened his mouth, prepared to question the validity of Titania’s claim, when Kiran called out to him. “Soren! Greil! Can you two c’mere?” Turning, Soren noted that Kiran looked only slightly more rested than when he’d seen him last in the library. There were bags under his eyes, but he was smiling, chipper and strange as ever. “It’s time to beef you up, Soren!”

The mage sighed and got to his feet, carefully stepping out of the table bench to approach the summoner. “I’m ready to see the apparently magical properties the training towers have.” Though his voice was laced with cynicism, Kiran didn’t seem to notice. Greil stepped forward, wordlessly putting a large hand on Soren’s shoulder. 

“Okay, but first I gotta introduce you to your partners for today.” Soren groaned internally, of course he wouldn’t be allowed to simply train on his own. “I’ve decided that we’ll be nice and balanced. We’ll take Greil along, and your other two, Robin and Lucius, are already waiting near the entrance.” Kiran motioned for them to follow, and Soren assured for the fifth time that day that he had his Wind tome on him. They followed quietly while Kiran tried to make a few attempts at conversation.

“So, Soren. What do you think of the library?” Kiran asked, smiling brightly back at him.

“It’s helpful.” Soren replied.

Tried, and failed to make a conversation. Kiran sighed and led the two down a brightly lit corridor Soren hadn’t seen before. As if reading his mind, Greil spoke quietly. “This is where portals to other dimensions can be opened by Kiran. We use it as a training ground.” Soren nodded in apparent understanding, though it simply led to more questions than answers. At the end of the hall stood the blond monk he’d seen before and an unfamiliar white haired man in festive garb, the two chatting politely before noticing the group approaching.

“So, this is our new unit?” The other one (Probably Robin, he thought) looked over Soren, humming as if he was in deep thought. “A wind mage..”

The blond cleared his throat and smiled at Soren, looking slightly amused. “We never were introduced properly, were we? I’m Lucius.” He stuck out his hand and Soren took it wordlessly. 

“Soren. Former tactician of the Greil Mercenaries.” He stated, and Robin grinned brightly.

“Well met, Soren. I’ve read some of the books in the library detailing some of your strategies. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to work with you. I’m Robin, tactician of the Shepherds.” Robin’s gloved hands were shaking slightly as he grasped Soren’s, but Soren ignored it.

Kiran glanced over the four before smiling to himself and pulling out Breidablik. “We’re gonna start real easy and work our way up. As usual, Robin, Greil, be the meatshields you were always meant to be. Soren, work on your accuracy and power. Lucius, keep everyone patched up. Have fun!”

With that, Kiran pointed Breidablik away from the group, and with a soft ‘click’ the weapon fired pure light that eventually began to swirl into a spiral-like opening. “Everyone get in the portal, i’ll be right behind you.” 

Robin and Lucius stepped in without hesitation, while Ike looked back at Soren, offering his hand. “Ready?” 

Soren nodded and took Greil’s hand, looking a bit unconvinced. He walked through the portal, covering his eyes at the overwhelming brightness. It took a few moments before he finally opened his eyes, and noted the change in surroundings. The new building was entirely stone, a staircase off in the corner. A few soldiers stood, suddenly attentive when they saw the group. He heard Kiran step in behind him, and begin calling orders for Ike and Robin to step back and let Soren take the lead.

Finally, he thought.

Opening his tome, he began to speak in Ancient, the all too familiar feeling of energy running through his veins. His fingers twitched toward an enemy archer, and he felt a wave of pride as they were launched a few feet to the side. They collapsed, motionless, and Soren turned his attention to the cavalier quickly closing in. Another twitch of his fingers and muttering of words later, they too were haphazardly thrown to the side, their lance clattering to the ground. 

The flapping of wings alerted him to turn around, and he instinctively raised his arms to protect himself as a woman on a pegasi slashed downward, her blade making contact with Soren’s arm. He hissed in pain and stumbled back, holding his injured arm. “Shit..”

And that’s when Robin, who had stayed relatively close, whipped out a damn tree and impaled the pegasus rider in one fell swoop. Soren could see the star at the end poking through the other side, and he wasn’t sure if he was horrified or fascinated by the unusual weaponry. Robin withdrew his weapon, and Soren watched as they collapsed, and after a few seconds vanished. He cast a confused gaze at Kiran, who grinned. “They aren’t real people, they’re magicky things. Made for the sole purpose of training.” 

Soren watched Robin heft the tree onto his shoulder, it somehow looking as perfect and unperturbed as before. There was a silence as he felt a cooling sensation cover his arm, and turned to see Lucius holding his staff out, saying something quietly under his breath. Soren felt the sensation slowly disappear, and noted that the relatively shallow wound had healed over entirely. He gave Lucius a slight nod of appreciation, and the monk smiled brightly.

“Everyone good? Well, let’s go to the next floor. There’s only eleven so let’s hurry, I wanna get back for dinner.”

***

Soren stepped out of the portal, groaning. Greil was quiet, but clearly exhausted. He’d had to be Soren’s shield for the last few stratums, as Lucius had to focus more on offense than healing every little wound, and Robin was off destroying every sword user they encountered. Soren couldn’t deny he felt much stronger toward the end, but all he wanted to do now was lay down. His legs were threatening to collapse when Greil pulled him into a side hug, and Soren gratefully leaned against him. A final wave of coolness washed over him, lessening the strain on his tired muscles, and he gazed over at Lucius. “Thanks.”

Kiran looked over the four and smiled. “Good, so Soren’s strong enough to use regularly in combat now. We’ll decide on a training routine in a bit, I have other things to take care of. You’re all free to do whatever until dinner. Also, dinner is mandatory today, because i’ll have some announcements. That’s all, have fun.” While saying this, he used Breidablik to close the portal then tucked it away.

“So, Soren.” Soren turned to see Robin, hands clasped together as he grinned. “You’ll be giving tactical advice to Kiran as well, right? I’m excited to see what we’ll be able to do together!” Soren just nodded and buried his face tiredly against Greil. Robin seemed to get the hint, and walked off quietly, humming to himself.

Kiran grabbed Lucius by the wrist, and grinned mischievously. “Hey, I think i’ve got some injuries too… Take care of me?” 

Lucius looked concerned, and raised his staff questioningly. “Did someone manage to slip past us? I’ll heal you!”

“N-No, that’s not.. Never mind.” Kiran, embarrassed, shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried off, Lucius following behind in concern.

Greil watched them leave, and kept a comfortable grip on Soren. When everyone else was out of sight, he glanced down at Soren. “What do you want to do? I think we have a few hours.”

Soren didn’t answer immediately, comforted by Ike’s hold on him. “Mm.. It’d probably be better if we didn’t rest, but..” He trailed off, his fingertips brushing over Greil’s chest as he hummed.

Taking Soren’s exhausted tone as an answer, Greil picked him up, holding him so Soren’s head laid gently on his shoulder. Soren was about to object, but something inside him made him remain quiet. Maybe it was the fact that a week ago, Soren had been painfully alone, not truly caring what happened to him, and now he had everything to fight for. Each of his Ikes could return home and live out their full lives when this war was over, and that was enough motivation for him.


	5. Tap Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, i've had a bad week. Apologies for not posting as scheduled, but I definitely bit off more than I could chew with this one, and just kinda had to wing it.
> 
> As always, I read the comments and take them to heart, so leave one if you have any critiques or compliments! They really do make me want to write more!

Soren rubbed his eyes tiredly, not even pretending to listen to Micaiah’s rant on why her Yune was so much cuter than Feh. He wasn’t very hungry by the time dinner rolled around, and he now sat sandwiched between Ike and Bike. Since dinner was apparently mandatory today (Soren was informed by Greil that dinner was the closest thing they had to a full group discussion, since food had a way of making people less likely to kill each other) Soren was finally able to see the majority of the army that Askr had summoned. There were near a hundred of them scattered between different groups at various tables most chatting or eating. Soren hadn’t seen most of these people before, but they likely just took their meals to their room or skipped it entirely like Soren did.

His gaze stuck on one table in particular with only five people at it. Kiran sat on one side, Lucius on his left and the Askrian prince on the right. The princess and commander sat across from them, and they were all talking quite seriously (barring Lucius, who looked quite confused- why was he there in the first place?) amongst themselves. Eventually the prince stood and cleared his throat loudly, causing the room to grow quiet, bar the occasional murmuring.

“Heroes, we came across something different when checking over the open portals to other worlds. It’s difficult to explain what it is exactly, but It's a cave that we feel should be explored for safety purposes. If there’s something important being hidden there, it’s imperative we find out what it is.” He spoke confidently, glancing over the entire room of people. “However, this is a low priority mission, since we have more pressing issues. Those of you already committed to work prior will not be considered. Talk to Kiran for more information, he will be taking who he believes fits best. That is all.” Soren could hear a majority of the room sigh with relief as Alfonse sat down, mixed with a few grumbles about how unimportant the announcement was. 

Bike hummed a little, resting his head in his hands. “Sounds interesting.” He glanced at Soren, smiling slightly. “We should go volunteer for that, otherwise we might get stuck with Tempest Trial grinding in a few weeks.”

“Tempest Trial grinding?” Soren asked.

“Essentially, you fight for a week straight because Kiran is an absolute bastard.” Bike said flatly. “Actually, it’s only a few hours a day for a week, but it’s exhausting. We do get a lot of rewards for it though, so I can’t really complain.” He shrugged slightly, and moved to get up. “Want to go see?”

Soren nodded and stood, following Bike to Kiran’s table. The summoner was talking to Alfonse, who looked too serious to even be in Kiran’s vicinity. “Alfonse, I’m telling you, that place was awesome! Let me just take four heroes there, and we can scope the place out before it’s too late. Hell, we might even be back before it’s too dark out if we take someone strong. Someone liiiike..”

“You’re not taking Grima.” Alfonse said sternly, crossing his arms.

Kiran whined, and looked to Lucius pleadingly. “Don’t you think we should take him along? He’s become so aggressive, it’ll let him vent a bit!”

Lucius glanced at Kiran, concerned. “Kiran, he’s destroyed at least one world, and if Lucina is to be believed, he’s attempted to destroy many more. Aren’t you at least a little bit worried about him becoming aggressive to us?”

The summoner pouted childishly. “That’s what I’m trying to avoid! Come on, you’re supposed to take my side!”

“Um, hi.” Bike said, and Kiran turned quickly to see them.

“Oh, Bike! Soren! Are you two interested in going to the fun dungeon?” Kiran grinned, taking a moment to step out of the bench and sit facing the two. “It’s just gonna be five people. Me, and four of you guys since I’m allergic to dying and want to prevent that. Interested?”

Soren pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fun dungeon.”

Kiran nodded. “I’m calling it that until Alfonse can come up with an official name.” Beside him, Alfonse smiled fondly before turning and talking to his sister about something else unimportant. “Since I’ll be going without Alfonse or Sharena, I’ll get to choose who I take along. You two wanna go?”

Bike blinked. “You mean now?”

“Hell yeah! We’re leaving in ten minutes if I can find one more person.” At Soren’s questioning gaze, Kiran frowned. “I know how to count, Soren. Lucius has already volunteered to go.”

Soren growled, and looked at Lucius. “What level of nepotism are you even on?”

“N-Nepotism?” Lucius blushed slightly. “That isn’t the case at all..!”

At that moment Soren felt a chill run up his spine, and he shuddered. Upon turning, he reeled back as what appeared to be Robin in a different outfit standing inches away from him, glaring. “Which of you worms spoke my name?” Behind him, Soren heard Lucius make a fearful little noise.

“That was me!” Kiran chirped. “We’re going to a cave to explore it, and there might be bad guys to fight-”

“Ohoho. I’m in.” Robin grinned, and Soren cringed at his exposed fangs. This Robin was nothing like the one he’d met earlier. It noticed him watching, and raised an eyebrow. “Mm..? You’re different from the rest of these worms. I can smell your blood.. It’s similar to mine.”

Soren noticed that Robin’s eyes were a violent shade of red that matched his own, uneasy at the similarity. “You’re not Robin.”

It snarled at the name, spitting each word out with venomous intent. 

“Robin is this body’s name. I am Grima, the Fell Dragon, Destroyer of Worlds.” Soren swore he heard Kiran stifle a laugh behind him, and Grima’s expression darkened, “Were I not under a binding contract, you’d all be nothing but fleshy morsels to me.”

Kiran waved his hand nonchalantly at the threat, seemingly used to it by now. “Yes, yes, the streets will run red with our blood, armageddon, et cetera, et cetera. Are you coming or not?” 

Grima hissed something under his breath, before growling. “Fine.”

“Well, we’ve got our team then!” Kiran stood, and motioned for the others to follow him out of the dining room. “We’ll be back soon, Alfonse. You have permission to freak out if we aren’t back by tomorrow.”

Alfonse watched them leave uneasily, and as Soren left he noticed Alfonse motioning to another table, calling someone.

***  
Stepping though yet another portal, Soren was immediately on high alert. Kiran didn’t seem worried as he closed the portal behind the group, but then again, when did he ever look worried? Tome out, Soren’s gaze caught on an inconspicuous cave, and he glanced over at Kiran, who nodded. “That’s the place. From what we know. It’s deep, but also just a straight shot.”

Bike stayed toward the back of the group, keeping an eye on Grima warily. “You sure it was okay to bring him along?”

“Eh. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Kiran gave a halfhearted shrug. “It’s not like he can attack any of us without collapsing. Gotta love that soul contract business.” 

Grima snarled and glanced back, but Kiran just smiled.

“Kiran, the cave feels.. Weird.” Lucius chimed in, looking a bit uneasy. He was leading the group, and Soren couldn’t help but admire the fact that he didn’t seem terrified of the psychotic demigod dragon following close behind.

Kiran took on a more serious expression. “That’s the same thing Alfonse and I felt. You guys wouldn’t get this.. But it feels like, in my world, when you stand right in front of a really loud speaker. The ground feels shaky and if you stay too long, you start feeling funny. Also, you have the urge to start singing.” A long silence. “I’m telling you. This place is weird.”

He led the group in, and Soren immediately felt what Kiran was talking about. The cave had an almost magical feeling, and glancing at the others led him to the conclusion that the others felt it as well. 

The unmistakable sound of a sword being unsheathed drew the group’s attention past the mouth of the cave, and Grima rushed forward, a draconic aura surrounding him. His hands now looking more like claws, he reached out to the nearest foe, grinning like a madman. “Suffer, worm!”

He missed.

Scowling, he attacked again, but with no avail. Soren could see why each hit failed to land; there was a specific, almost mechanical movement to their opponents, and he recalled the strange feeling at the entrance.

He understood it the same moment as a gleeful Kiran. “It’s a rhythm game! The cave’s based on rhythm!” He yelled, in time with Grima being smacked backwards by one of the illusory enemies. “Everyone, attack in time with the enemies! I don’t think they’re real!”

Soren, still not entirely sure of what he was supposed to do with the timing, held his tome outwards, chanting his usual incantation, but slowed as the enemy began to approach. It was drawing nearer and nearer, until his opponent was only a few steps away. The sensation swelled, and Soren swore he heard music as he yelled out the last few syllables and a wind spell crashed into the soldier, who vanished almost immediately.

Soren blinked rapidly, unsure if his eyes were fooling him. He looked back to the others in time to see Bike slash through another enemy, and them collapse into nothing. 

This went on, their group cutting through incorporeal enemies until the feeling stopped, and there were no enemies left in sight. Kiran glanced around the cave, then over the group of Heroes. “Everyone okay?”

Grima looked around, his expression dark. “What kind of arcane hell was that, letting them evade my attacks?” The aura had left him, and his normal hands were clenched into fists at his sides. 

“Music sense.” Lucius answered softly, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter when Grima huffed and stomped off deeper into the cave, muttering obscenities under his breath. 

***  
They were deep enough in the cave now that Soren couldn’t help but worry about how deep it could physically be. They’d been moving and fighting at a gentle decline for over an hour now, and even Grima was starting to grow restless.

“When are we done here?” He snapped, and Kiran looked at him warily, not bothering to answer. Soren guessed that he didn’t know.

Thankfully, there was a break from the norm, and a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows of the cave, and near the group.

“Empress Sanaki?” Soren raised an eyebrow. Sanaki wasn’t a part of the Order of Heroes, as far as he knew. 

Sanaki’s eyes were glazed over, and she didn’t directly look at any of them. “Foolish intruders, do you know who you’ve challenged?” She mechanically raised her tome-free hand, a blank expression on her face.

“Another fake.” Kiran said, gently.

Grima hissed, and prepared himself, the draconic aura once again surrounding him. “Empress or no, a worm such as yourself cannot satiate my bloodlust. Die!”

Bouncing on his heels, Grima countered each of the fake Sanaki’s blows, and Kiran felt a slight swell of pride at the fell dragon finally picking up on the rhythm aspect of the dungeon. It wasn’t long before she, too, dissipated. Grima crossed his arms over his chest, triumphant.

“Wonderful, Grima!” Kiran walked to him and patted the fell dragon on the head, ruffling his soft hair. 

Grima stiffened under the touch for a moment before smirking. “As if a godly being as myself could fail something so trivial.” He brushed Kiran off after a moment, striding behind Lucius.

Bike watched, sighing. “He’s a destroyer of worlds, but Kiran treats him like a child. Seriously, if any of us did that, he’d find a way around the contract to kill us.” Soren nodded in agreement.

The two were snapped out of their conversation when they heard Lucius gasp. “Kiran, come look!” Despite it not being directed at them, Bike and Soren followed and gaped as they saw what Lucius was talking about. A natural hot spring lay in the deepest point of the cave.

“We did all that for this?” Soren deadpanned, casting a glance at Bike, who didn’t seem too bothered, crouching down to put his fingertips in to test the water.

Kiran didn’t seem bothered by Soren’s lack of enthusiasm. “Hey, this is a good thing! We can rest after exploring, and after, we can go and report back to Alfonse that there was nothing bad about the cave. Win-win!”

Soren was about to reply when Bike pulled his shirt off and destroyed any train of thought he might have had. Noting Soren’s wide-eyed stare, he smiled. “Might as well relax a bit, right?” Soren just nodded blankly.

Kiran watched the two, mildly amused. Soren followed Ike in quietly stripping, and the summoner turned to the water to give the two some privacy. His eyes narrowed as he saw Grima in the water up to his neck, still fully clothed. “Um, why are you still dressed?”

“As if i’d allow you the privilege to see me bare.” Grima scoffed.

A few splashes made Kiran turn, and he saw Bike and a flustered Soren sinking into the water, both of them looking slightly relieved. Bike sighed and relaxed into the water. “It feels pretty nice, huh.” Soren just nodded, a blush on his face.

Lucius nudged Kiran gently, smiling shyly. “Are you getting in as well? I’ll join you.” 

That was all the motivation Kiran needed, hurriedly shedding his multiple layers of clothing.

Giving the two a bit of privacy, Soren turned his gaze to Bike, not bothering to hide his staring. He was wonderfully muscled, despite his face still retaining some youthfulness. He noticed Soren watching him, and grinned. “See something you like?” As teasing as the question was, it came out quite genuine, and Soren quickly looked away.

“I.. I just zoned out, is all.” Soren mumbled, vaguely aware of Kiran and Lucius stepping into the hot spring with them, and Grima saying something. He jumped when Bike wrapped an arm around him, wordlessly pulling Soren against his chest and placing a kiss on the top of his head.

Glancing over, Soren felt a hint of surprise when he saw Kiran. It occurred to him that he’d only ever seen the summoner with his hood pulled down, covering his eyes almost entirely. It was different now, and Soren could finally make out his features. He had light grey eyes with pronounced bags under them, the tired appearance contracting his neatly tied back dark purple hair. Kiran was talking to Lucius, though his gaze consistently wandered a bit south. The monk didn’t seem to notice, or care.

“Are you adjusting well?” Bike suddenly asked, and Soren looked up at him quizzically. “Greil told me that you’re from.. After our death.” Soren nodded, his throat suddenly dry. “Is it weird? Seeing us again?”

Soren hesitated before speaking, choosing his words carefully. “It’s.. Something I never expected. While it is strange, being able to fight by your side again is welcoming.” Bike squeezed him gently, and Soren couldn’t help but smile. “..I missed things like this, as well. Just.. Being with you again.”

Bike reached up, tilting Soren’s head up and gazing at him thoughtfully. “..Can I? Would you mind?” Soren bit his lip and nodded shyly, and Bike didn’t hesitate to pull the wind mage into a chaste kiss.

Soren kissed back, content.


	6. Voting Gauntlet: Fated Battles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE OH MY GOD
> 
> So long story short, I switched meds and turned my damn life around in the past few months, so now I have a stable job and actually eat on a daily basis. I'm super sorry for the extensive wait on this, but I also need to thank Bulletprccf for giving me the idea for this.. Like, last year. I've been sitting on this for a while, so if it seems a bit disjointed, that's why.
> 
> As always, comments and criticisms accepted and appreciated! Thank you for continuing to read!

“Greil, It’s time again!” Kiran screamed, kicking the shared room open. 

Soren and Bike looked up, and Greil sighed loudly. “Not again.” Soren gave him a confused look, and Greil hesitantly explained. “It’s Voting Gauntlet season, and i’ve apparently been entered yet again. Kiran, what’s the theme this time?” He tilted his head toward the open door.

Kiran waved the sheet of parchment in his hand around, grinning before he held it up to read it. “The theme is ‘Fated Battles’. Y’know, noble and valiant heroes fighting their greatest foes in an emotional battle to the death! Something lighthearted like that.”

Greil didn’t look enthusiastic. “Greatest foes. So you mean..”

“Ashnard?” Bike guessed.

“Ashera?” Soren asked.

Kiran shook his head. “Zelgius.”

Greil was quiet for a moment before nodding to himself. “That’s.. Probably the least dangerous one.”

“The only heroes involved in the Gauntlet that we have here are you and Marth. He doesn’t seem too interested, so..” Kiran grinned, and held the paper out to Greil and Soren, pointing at the bracket with Zelgius and Greil. “We’re turning the Order of Heroes into another Ike fan-club.”

“Another?” Soren interjected, and Bike took the moment to take over for Kiran. 

“This is the second time Greil’s been chosen, and the third time an Ike has been chosen. Apparently in the other universes as well as this one, we’re insanely popular. Because of this, commander Anna uses the hype to fill up the Order’s coffers by merchandising the hell out of us.”

Soren gaped for a moment, a slight pang of jealousy in his chest. “And it sells well?”

“Insanely.” Bike replied. “Also, I think you were summoned with the orbs Kiran bought from the profits they made on the last Ike-centric Gauntlet. It’s a pretty big deal financially.”

Greil put an arm around Soren’s shoulder, causing the mage to wordlessly lean against him as Greil began to speak. “I don’t mind if you do. I’m not too invested in these events, but I don’t have any objections to helping the Order.”

Kiran clapped his hands together and grinned brightly. “Sweet! I’ll come get you in a few hours to brief you on what our plan is.” Seeing Greil nod, Kiran turned on his heels and closed the door behind him, humming loudly to himself.

Soren looked between the two, justifiably confused, until Greil stood up and held his hand out to Soren. “Come on, I’ll show you how the Voting Gauntlet works.” Soren took his hand, smiling lightly as Greil didn’t let go.

Leading Soren to the central hall, Greil glanced at the group crowding in there at the moment. A few heroes were crowded around, and Soren realized he recognized a few of them. Lucius was sitting on the steps near the entrance, talking to a tall man on a horse. They approached, and Soren could catch their conversation.

“So these feathers are a gift from Taylor? Please give them our thanks, every bit helps.” Lucius said gently, having to look up slightly to make eye contact. “However, I have to ask, Reinhardt.. Why the bunny ears?”

The man sighed and covered his eyes with one hand. “The summoning contract means we must do as the summoner says, even if their requests are.. Unnecessary at times.”

Lucius nodded, tilting his head slightly to show a seashell hairpin. “I understand. Anyways, give our regards to Taylor, and- Please stop your horse, he’s eating my hair.” 

Soren subconsciously placed a hand over his tied-back hair, and glanced over to the small gathering of manakete girls in the center. Fae, the divine dragon he met on his first day, was comparing her dragonstone to two other girls, who had similarly pointed ears and dragonstones. 

Greil looked over them, smiling slightly. “They’re all much older than they look, but they definitely don’t act like it, do they?” Soren nodded wordlessly, and Greil took notice of his purposefully blank expression. “It’s different for you. You’re different than I remember, but you hardly look different.”

Swallowing dryly, Soren continued to stare at the group. “They’re fortunate to have the luxury to act childish, despite being thousands of years old.” 

Greil glanced over at Soren, and gave a sad smile. “You never got to be a child, did you.”

Soren didn’t reply, and they continued on.

***

An entire wing Soren had never been down was being decorated lavishy, and he felt Greil squeeze his hand for reassurance. Kiran was up on a ladder hanging an oversized banner from the ceiling. Commander Anna was holding the ladder still while rambling about just how much they were going to make off the Gauntlet. When she spotted the two approaching, she immediately let go of the ladder and clapped her hands together gleefully, not paying any attention as Kiran fell, screaming obscenities Soren had never heard before.

“Greil, Soren! Just the two I wanted to see. We were just decorating a bit, but now that you two are here, we can get right down to business!” She caught their unamused expressions, but laughed it off. “Come on, Greil, you know how this works! And now that Soren is here, we can have a suitable representative for you!”

Soren held out a hand to stop her. “What does that mean?”

“It’s a battle.” Greil responded. “Everyone who’s participating sends a representative to fight for their team. She thinks it would be fitting for you to go fight in my name, for.. Obvious reasons..” Soren caught a hint of a smile on his lips. 

Anna nodded, and began to clarify. “Since we’re going to support Greil, we’ll send you off for the day, and you’ll have a battle every hour. The more you win, the more rewards we get, and the less i’ll have to take out of the Order’s reserves. Sound good?”

Soren merely shrugged as a reply but Anna paid no mind to his unwillingness. “Kiran, let’s send him out! We need to make bank, and fast!” Soren could practically hear the eyeroll as Kiran got to his feet, dusting off his jacket and withdrawing his legendary weapon.

“Soren, just a heads up.” Kiran said casually, digging in his pockets. “You’ll probably meet other Sorens. And Ikes. So to distinguish you as ours, I demand that you wear this.” He withdrew the item and held it out.

Soren looked between it and Kiran, unamused. “This is an owl plush.”

“Correct.” Kiran said. “Put it on your head and get going.” He pushed the toy owl into Soren’s hands, grinning.

Soren looked over it, trying to find any sort of significance in the toy he might have missed. Aside from it looking identical to the owl that lived in the main hall, Soren couldn’t find anything of importance. “..But why?”

“Because you need to look cute! Otherwise, no one will take you seriously.” Kiran chided, aiming his weapon toward a blank space on the wall and firing, opening up another portal. “Now put the bird on your head and go fight for your man’s honor!”

Soren looked down at the floor blankly, before looking between the plush and Greil, who just gave him an apologetic smile. Soren eventually placed the plush on top of his head and turned to the portal. “Let’s get this over with.”

Kiran cheered behind him as Soren stepped into the glowing portal, cringing at the familiar feeling of disorientation. 

What laid before him was too strange to be real. In the area he’d been sent to, multiples of himself, Micaiah, and most of the Greil Mercenaries were there, either chatting, or in the case of the multiple Mias, sparring off in the corner. There were plenty of others he didn’t recognize as well.

“Oh wow! Hi!” Soren turned abruptly to see Anna, standing there with her hands clasped together. “Soren, right? What’s your summoner’s name?”

Soren stared at her for a few seconds, wondering how she’d managed to slip in behind him. “Kiran.. Why don’t you know that, commander?”

Anna waved him off, giggling. “I’m not your Anna. I’m one of my many sisters and alternate selves!” Saying that, she whipped out a clipboard and flipped through the sheets of parchment. “Kiran, Kiran.. Yes! Kiran! Strange, he usually sends Lucius to these things.”

“That sounds like him.” Soren replied, putting a hand on the owl plush to keep it from falling, though it seemed pretty secure somehow.

Anna seemed to look around, pursing her lips until she finally found what she was looking for, and pointed. “Why don’t you go over there? I’ll call one of you when it’s time.” Soren followed her gaze and stared blankly at the grouping of other Sorens, all with different accessories and different levels of annoyance at having to be there.

What sounded like an amplified voice boomed over the crowds, and almost all of them stopped and turned to look for the source of the voice. “Heroes from other worlds, thank you for joining us for our latest Voting Gauntlet! For those of you who are here for your first Voting Gauntlet, there’s only one rule: Fight for your team’s glory!” There was a pause, and Soren heard cheers from the other Heroes, who weren’t as serious about the event.

“The Gauntlet begins in three! Two! One!”

***

“Well, that was.. Poorly done.” Soren commented, as boos rang out from his side of the arena. Lyon, the enemy of some man named Ephiram (Soren remembered seeing his name in some of the history books in the library, but had only skimmed it) had defeated Greil in the second round of the glorified popularity contest. 

Immediately, Anna approached their side, holding a large bag that seemed surprisingly light. “Come and get your consolation feathers! Use ‘em to cushion your disappointment!” A few of the heroes present seemed unamused, but Soren stepped forward. His world’s commander Anna had told him to take whatever prize he could get, and Anna slapped a bundle of feathers into his hands before turning to the portal he came in from. “Nice try, see you next Gauntlet!” Anna chimed, though it sounded rehearsed.

As Soren stepped through and felt the temporary wave of sickness that he’d grown accustomed to, he heard the multitude of groans of disappointment. “Damn it!” Kiran crossed his arms, and puffed his cheeks out. “This early.. Anna, take the decorations down, we’re not making bank on the Gauntlet this time.”

Soren had to fight back a laugh at Commander Anna’s completely distraught expression.


End file.
